David Brooks: Read it and weep, prime minister

He may be a cold fish but the political thinker captivating No 10 says emotion and character are key to the success of us all

David Brooks' new book has taken the political establishment by storm (Francesco Guidicini)

D
avid Brooks has the ear of presidents, prime ministers and policy wonks. As
the political guru du jour, last week he took a high-speed tour through
Britain’s elite, popping into Downing Street to give a seminar, taking tea
with Ed Miliband, addressing think tanks and appearing on those
Establishment musts, Newsnight and the Radio 4 Today programme.

His latest book, The Social Animal, is said by many a gushing columnist to be
“required reading” for the coalition cabinet. Michael Gove, the education
secretary, apparently brought the book home from New York; Steve Hilton,
David Cameron’s policy chief and social conscience (he’s the one who came up
with the whole big society shtick), can’t get enough of it. So who is
Brooks? And what is he telling them?

Well, in America he’s the acceptable face of conservatism, the kind of
right-wing pundit liberals like, and he’s the author of a must-read